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TIMEGOES BY SO FAST !!!!!!!

HI everyone :) :) :)

Golly, it's been almost a MONTH since my last post ;) :) I've been busy here and LOVING my new home ;) :) I've got lots of photos...and if I'd eventually write a proper post, you would get to see them :) :)

Let's see..I'm still job hunting.  I did interview for a job as a bank teller. I didn't get the job. That's okay. This LORD or something better. The "something better" is obviously what God has in store for me :) :)

I've also been working on losing weight. As of this morning I've lost a total of 22 pounds. Wow, it's gone fast...but my aunt introduced me to a naturopathic doctor.  It is an alternative medicine for sure. However, I wanted to try it, because she explained her healthy eating plan to me. It's all science and no fluff.  She also believes in eating meat. That's GOOD, because I LOVE to eat meat :) :)

She had me take a blood test, which revealed that I'm severely anemic, can't absorb protein, there's an infection in my gut and some other things that I can't remember.  So I've been following her healthy eating plan.  It's really similar to an elimination diet, where all the bad stuff is stripped away. I followed that for 5 weeks...and now I"m slowly reintroducing things back into my diet.

This is the best I've felt in over 10 years.  My naturopathic doctor told me of another patient who had Crohn's disease, who followed her eating plan, and also went "GLUTEN FREE" for five years...and after that time her Crohn's went into complete remission...AND she's able to eat regular breads with gluten now and everything is good. 

I have ulcerative proctitis, a minor form of colitis,...and so I'm going to try the same thing.  We did figure out that I have an intolerance to gluten and dairy.  So that was my decision. So far, so good, because my healthy eating plan is naturally gluten free right now.  When I start reintroducing bread into my diet, that will have to be gluten free.  I've been reading books and magazines on the topic. There's a lot to learn.  There's also a LOT of variety, so I definitely won't be without goodies to eat ;) :) :)

The weather has been rainy and sunshine...all in ONE day, for the last TWO days...so it's interesting. I never can tell what to expect.

That's all for the moment.  I'm still trying to figure out my new "sign off". That's the news from the ocean shores today.  Love and hugs, Heather :)

FINALLY....SOME PHOTOS OF THE NEW SURROUNDINGS.

Hi everyone,

I have lots of photos to share. I'll only share a few today. Mainly because I'm running out of room on my USB drive. It's time to buy another one soon :) :) So here's just a taste of where I live...

One of the first things I did was take a trip to Pacific Grove. It's right next to Monterey. There's a knitting shop there that I remember visiting years ago. It's still in business :) :) Yes, of course, I bought some sock yarn :) :) Here are three more photos of the place.

The hydrangeas are just gorgeous and pink. I love pink.

This is part of the Lighthouse Produce stand here in Pacific Grove. They have some really good organic produce, as well as international foods.  This particular produce stand operates in a former repair shop for cars.

You'll also notice  a sign for "The Farm Hen". It's the cutest little shop that sells the best vintage stuff I've ever seen. I'll definitely plan to visit this place again, soon :)

Most of the produce is sold inside the former garage/mechanic repair shop.

The rest of the produce is covered by these tents. I think that's very thoughtful. It keeps the fruit from getting burned by the sun.

The rest of these photos are of the ocean in Monterey, California. The weather is really shifty here. We do get sun. We also get lots of mist/fog from the ocean, since we are a city built on the ocean.

These particular shots are of the old fisherman's wharf here in town. 

Those are all my photos for the moment. I would have shared more, except my USB drive is running out of space :) :) Good thing, otherwise, I would have posted a boatload more worth of photos here today :) :)

That's the news from the Pacific Ocean today. Love and hugs, Heather

p.s. I'm working on different "sign offs" for my blog.  If you think of any ideas, please let me know :) :) :)

I'M STILL HERE :) :) :)

Hi everyone :) :) :)

I just wanted to let you know that I'm still here. My dad and I are settling down some. I've taken a proverbial boatload of photos already. So I'll make sure and get a new post full of photos up by this weekend :) :) How are you all doing?

I really love the weather here in Monterey. It's consistently in the 60s. Now we are by the ocean, so we get a lot of ocean mist here, too. It's really beautiful.

Monterey has a very interesting history.  If you click here, you can read a Wikipedia article about Monterey. It was founded June 3rd, 1770 by Father Juanipero Serra and Gaspar de Portola (then governor of Baja and Alta California).  There is still a lot of Spanish/Mexican influence all over this area. It's just breathtaking...that and the fact that I get to see the ocean every day :) :) 

Well, since I"m not in Oregon anymore, I'll have to change my "sign off" for my blog posts :) :)  What do you all suggest?  That's the news from the California coast today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

MOVING WEEKEND

Hi everyone :) :) :)

Just a quick update. Today a bunch of people from church are coming over to help my dad and I upload the moving truck.  So it will be a busy day. We'll actually leave tomorrow - Sunday. Pray that we get lots of strong people to help out. Pray for safety, a fast move, etc... This will be my last post until I'm in California and completely moved in.  That's the news from Oregon today. Extra special love and hugs to you all, Heather :) :) :)

GOING BACK TO CALI

Hi everyone,
It's Sunday afternoon and what a beautiful day today. It's around 90 degrees Fahrenheit and feels like a bajillion outside...However, we've got nice air conditioning in the apartment. What a blessing :) :) :)
Church was really great today...and more special because next Sunday will be my last Sunday there...and we are literally pulling out of the church parking lot with the car and moving truck after service is over. 
Our storage unit is completely cleared out and empty. Praise God, because it was a lot of work. Let me see if I can find you all some photos....

I don't remember what the exact dimensions where on the storage unit. It was about 9 feet by 8 feet or something like that, and really tall, too. You can tell from this photo about how big it really was. We had it packed FULL of stuff.  My dad worked really hard to get rid of a lot of things. He donated 22 boxes of popular Christian books to a local Christian private school.  We threw out lots of junk. Then our pastor and his boys came to help my dad haul some stuff away. What a blessing. So on this day, my dad and I went back to pick up the final leftovers. Dad swept the storage unit clean.



My dad finally shut the storage unit door for the LAST time. Oh, what a feeling of relief. It was a real blessing to be out of there. It's something I'd been wanting my dad to do for over a year now anyway. It just happened that with the move, we finally got it done. No matter, it's cleaned and empty...that is so perfect.

My daddy broke out into a "happy daddy" dance where he's playing air guitar with the broom. He was so happy that we were finally leaving the storage unit for good. Isn't my daddy just the cutest? He's so funny :) :) :)

The last time we will ever have to drive by the storage facility offices. The people who own and run this storage facility are wonderfully nice people. Still it was money out of our pockets each month. It's a relief not to have that responsibility anymore.

The last time I will ever see this gate...

The last time I will ever see this sign, too....

So that's about it for today. I'll be taking photos like a crazy woman all the rest of this week, even as we're pulling out of the driveway to head to California.  I hope I have enough space on my memory card for the digital camera.  Maybe I'll buy an extra card just in case :) :) :)

Pray for us the rest of this week and on the drive down south. It will be a long drive...and we're praying that it's completely uneventful.  I'll see if I can get one more post up before we pack the computer away.  oh, it's really happening...and I've been going through feelings of excitement about moving, sadness because I don't want to move, and right now a touch of indifference. 

Thanks for being patient with me during the last few weeks. Moving is a process...but it's worth it, because when it's done right, everything runs smoothly :) : We'll have lots of help from our church to get boxes loaded onto the truck.

Oh, how will I "sign off" on my posts now? I won't be in Oregon anymore...so that will have to change after next Sunday. Any thoughts on how I can sign off in future posts? Let me know what your thoughts and ideas are on that matter :) :) :) That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

"NEW" HAIRCUT AND VINTAGE SALON STUFF

Hi everyone,
Oh my, the move to California is only about a week away. Wow. My dad and I have a lot packed. There is still so much more to do. I went clothes shopping with my friend April today. That was so much fun :) :) :) She helped me to consider some things that I would have never thought to try on before. Plus, we saved a ton of money.

Oh, well, I did get my haircut back around August 12th.  Here are some photos.  My hair hadn't been cut since last February. So it was high time to get that hair cut and styled :) :)

This is the sideview of my new haircut. It is really similar to what I had before. It's just a little bit shorter, because I asked my friend to cut off the yucky-looking ends. It was starting to not look very pretty.  Now I have volume and lift. It's easy to style or just leave it alone :) :)

I really like the layers in the back.  It's a lot of fun. Plus, my hair has a natural tendency to want to curl just a bit back there, anyway.  It feels really good to go to the salon for some much needed pampering :) :) :)

Here is a series of photos I took while at the salon. It was built sometime during the 1920s.  The salon owner decorated it with vintage things. I thought you might enjoy some of this. I'll let the photos speak for themselves:

THIS IS A SALON CHAIR FROM THE 1920S. IT WAS MADE BY THE EMIL PAIDAR COMPANY OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. ISN'T IT JUST GORGEOUS?

HERE ARE SOME VINTAGE SHAVING AND HAIR CARE ITEMS THAT WERE DECORATING THE SALON.

 OH, THAT'S ME IN THE MIRROR, TAKING A PHOTO OF THE VINTAGE GE FAN. EVEN THE FAN IS SUPER CUTE.

Well, that is all for today's post. I'll get one more post up before I leave for California. Oh, my, the time is just flying by so fast. That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

GOD IS SO GOOD TO ME

Hi everyone ;) :)

Wow, things are getting crazy here...but crazy good. I've had trouble getting a post up. Oh, nothing bad at all. It's all good, as a matter of fact. My dad and I have been really, really busy packing boxes in  preperation for our move to California. We're moving at the end of August. Howev er, my dad wants everything completely packed and ready by August 21st.  He wants that last week to just relax. Quite frankly, so do I :) :) :)  So I've literally not had much time to do anything. Pray that I can get at least one really good post up before I leave ;) :) :)

Oh, God really blesses and he blesses in a practical way :) :) I've been wanted a fancy big kid/adult camera...w hat I call any camera that costs a few hundred dollars...You know what I'm talking about? Something super duper. Well, a couple in my church gave me theirs for FREE.  I had used this camera of theirs to take baptism shots a couple of Sundays ago...Wow, and tonight... I'd mentioned in passing a few days earlier, that if I ever could afford a camera like this...I'd give my current camera to another lady at church. She doesn't have a digital camera. So God answered and I'm waiting for my friend to come back from vacation to suprise her with a camera :) :) It's the one I use to take all the photos I post on my blog. Now I've got a camera that can do so much MORE than my current camera ;) :) What a blessing...proof positive that God blesses....He takes care of our needs and wants :) :) :) Wow...I'm shocked and happy :) :) So now to take a boatload of photos  :) :) :)

I've got to get read for church tomorrow. That's the news from Oregon today :) :) Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

ANOTHER UPDATE

Hi everyone,
How are you? No worries.....I"ll be getting a blog po st up soon :) :) I'm actually going to start packing some boxes today, in preparation for moving at the end of the month :) :)  Now "moving" isn't my favorite at all, but it's really nice to be doing something ;) :)

Hope you all are having a really nice day today :) That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

QUICK UPDATE

Hi everyone,
this is just a quick update for those of you who signed up for the Beyond Organic Insider opportunity.  I received an email the other day that says the launch date is officially on November 1st. It looks like in order to stay "active" you have to purchase one of their marketing packages.  I totally believe in what this company is doing in terms of its product. There is no question about the quality. However, I'm not in a position where I can buy any kind of marketing packages, since I am in between jobs.  So I will be letting my membership go into an "inactive" status. Plus, I'll be emailing the company to have them remove my name.
You may want to check your emails, because that email arrived in my inbox a day or two ago.  So IO just wanted to apologize, because I didn't think there would be that much of a cost involved, especially since they said it as free to join.  So I can no longer justify taking part in this opportunity, for myself...I'm only speaking for myself here.   Please pray about it and decide what you want to do...I just wanted to let you know where I am at on this situation :) :)
Other than that, I am proud to say I have packed ZERO boxes. Oh, did I mention that my dad and I are moving back to California? Surprise ;) :) :) Oh, I'm excited to see what opportunties God will open up for us here :) :) Okay...everyone...I hope you are all having a great day. It's in the low 90s here in Southern Oregon. It feels more like 110, but that's okay :) :) Summer is only a short season, than Fall arrives ;) :)
That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

SPIRITUAL SUNDAY

Hi everyone,

How has your week been? Mine has been really good, and full of some ups and downs.  More on that at the end of this post.  Here's the link to Week Three and Four of the Girl Talk 2011 series. This is part of the  Virtue for Women series for the summer from Harvest Church. Click here to view the videos.  There are so many good topics. Right now I'm  listening to the videos in the background while I'm working on my blog :) :) Later today or tomorrow, I'll actually watch the videos and take some notes. The topics range from  friendship and fitness to biblical perspectives on food. There's so much goodness here.

DAD AND I WENT OUT TO THE AIRPORT TO LOOK AT PLANES. IT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY. WE WERE FORTUNATE TO SEE SOME TAKE-OFFS AND LANDINGS. IT'S  JUST AMAZING.

Dad and I went out for a small drive this morning. He loves airplanes, so we went out to see what we could see today :) :) Plus, this is our favorite  viewing spot.  This old tree has probably been around for a very LONG time, a long time before this airport was even built.  It's so gnarly and old..I wonder what kind of stories it would have to tell.

My sweet friend Linda wrote about the latest happenings in the process of her son and daughter-in-love adopting Vitaliy from the Ukraine.  Click here to read about it in Linda's post. Also her daughter-in-love Tonya has a precious blog called Come Rest At His Table.  She's selling some really super cute pendants to help raise money to bring Vitaliy home. Please pay her a visit. If you feel led, consider buying some of  her pendants. They are really cute and the money is going to a great, great thing :) :) :)

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE COFFEE SPOTS. HERE IN THE NORTHWEST OF THE UNITED STATES, THERE ARE A LOT OF DRIVE-THRU COFFEE STANDS. WHY? WELL, IMAGINE A REALLY COLD WINTER....WOULD YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF YOUR CAR? NO. IT'S NICE TO HAVE  SOMEONE HAND YOU  NICE, WARM COFFEE THROUGH YOUR CAR WINDOW.

After we watched airplanes, my dad took me to The  Human Bean.  I love this coffee spot. The coffee is great, the baristas are really nice AND....here's the best part, they have treats for dogs. So it's really funny to watch, because anytime a car pulls into the drive-thru that has dogs...well, the dogs really start becoming really animated. They KNOW that there are doggie treats to be had here :) :) It's sweet ;) :)

DID YOU KNOW THAT TIRES MAKE GREAT CONTAINERS FOR HOLDING GROCERIES? YES, IT'S TRUE....(INSERT SMILE AND LAUGH HERE)

God has been so good to my dad and I...always.  We are going through a time of transition right now.    First, I'll tell you about the tire.  A really sweet couple in our church paid for four BRAND NEW tires for our car. The tires that were on the car before were starting to wear really thin. In fact, so thin, that we could no longer drive on the freeway/highway, because we were afraid the tires would shred.  So it was only driving on surface streets. In any case, we were able to get four nice, new tires. What a gift. Tires aren't cheap.  Now we feel safe to drive on any type of roadway.  After the mechanic was done changing the tires, my father asked to keep one of the old tires.  My father kept the "best" of the old, used tires as an emergency spare. We just put it in the trunk of the car. Well, here's where the funny blessing comes in, because later that day we went to the grocery store.  We put the groceries in the trunk, saw the big, used tire and had the idea to use it to keep the groceries all in one place. So the moral of the story is that not only is it good to have an emergency spare tire, it also makes a great container for groceries ;) :) :) It keeps the groceries from rolling all over the trunk of the car ;) :) Isn't this just the most hysterically funny thing ever? I think so :) :)

THIS IS ONE OF MANY, OLD BUILDINGS IN  JACKSONVILLE, OREGON.  DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THE OLD ADVERTISEMENTS PAINTED ON THE BRICK WALLS? IT IS SO VINTAGE COOL.

Okay, so back to the time of transition that my father and I are going through right now.  As many of you know, my father and I have both been unemployed for some time now. We finally came to the point about a week ago, where we needed to make a decision to stay in Oregon or move in with my aunt (my dad's sister) in California.  So we've been praying about it for awhile.  We even shared the prayer request with the elders of our church, since they were meeting at our house last Sunday.  We thought we had an opportunity for a place to live, that would have been perfect for our financial situation. It was a  gorgeous place and we  were grateful for the offer and excited about the possibilites that God could make happen here.  That was earlier this week. Well, we continued to pray...always in prayer, that God will guide our every decision and give us wisdom.

Yesterday, it appears that God really shut the door for us.  I won't go into more details, simply because it's not the time to share too much. However, we were praying...and God has at this time clearly shut the door to this particular living situation. So as of now, it appears that God is closing that door and opening up the door to move in with my aunt. She's a really neat lady and has been more than gracious/helpful towards us :) :) We are so thankful.  So unless God changes our direction again, we will be moving back to California most likely sometime in August. 

SOME PRETTY FLOWERS IN  JACKSONVILLE, OREGON.

I know this post might sound really random today. All this to say, that sometimes life is boring and slow. Then sometimes, stuff comes at you all at once from every direction.  Trust God because He is faithful and He always keeps His promises. Sometimes life is doing absolutely nothing. It's totally quiet, boring and still. You're in a season of waiting. Then God tells you to "Go"....be ready to go :) :) Again, trust God because He is faithful. He always keeps  His promises. 

So in this time of transition, keep us in prayer. Right now, we are planning on moving back to California, unless God clearly shuts the door.  You know when God shuts one door,  He  ALWAYS opens another door. That is for sure. When God opens a  door, nobody can shut it. When God closes a  door, no one can open it.  As things progress, I'll keep you updated.  Right now we'll be starting to pack boxes and get rid of anything we don't need. My plan is to sell some items on Craigslist and/or have a yard sale.

SEGWAY OF JACKSONVILLE IS A  NEAT LITTLE BUSINESS. CLICK HERE TO  VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AND FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION.

That is about all for today :):) :) Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and a  really great week.  That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)     



                                                                                                                                                                                         

MY 8TH & 9TH "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER" FOR JULY 27TH

I'M PARTICIPATING IN THE "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER WITH JESUS" SERIES OVER AT THE PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM. CLICK HERE TO VISIT AND TELL LINDA THAT I SAID HELLO.

I AM ALSO PARTICIPATING IN "HEARTS 4 HOME" OVER AT "OUR SIMPLE COUNTRY LIFE". YOU CAN CLICK HERE TO VISIT OR CLICK ON THE BUTTON ON MY RIGHT SIDEBAR.

Hi everyone,
Oh, it feels good to be back to blogging. I think I've been away for a little over a week. If you read my  last post, you know there has been a little bit going on. Not just for me, but for so many of my church family and friends. So much has been going on, it seems unreal. So I missed last week's "Building Our Homes Together" series last week. In any case, it's been quite the week and month. So much I don't understand, but God is faithful. That much is for certain :) :)

So here's my entry for today. These are reusable cotton rounds:

My sweet blogger friend, Nicole, over at My Mad World  posted these recently on her blog. These are reusable cotton rounds. They're about the same size as the cotton rounds you buy at the store to remove mascara and other cosmetics.  So I made some of my own. There's a site called Ravelry, which is a wonderful resource for all things crafty, especially knitting and crochet. You can click here to view the pattern for yourself. My Ravelry friend Heidi Bringhurst wrote up this super cute and super easy pattern.  You do need to create an account in order to view their patterns. Some are for sale. some are free. This pattern is free. It's also free to register and I highly recommend it, especially if you do a lot of needlework. Otherwise, I'll copy the pattern here. This is NOT my pattern, this pattern is written out by Heidi Bringhurst. I copied it here for you because she explains things so well:

Materials



Size G (US 6 [4mm]) Crochet Hook


1/10 oz.(≈ ¼ yd) Worsted Wt. Cotton Yarn


Abbreviations & Explanations


st = stitch


rep = repeat


rd = round


yo = yarn over


ch = chain


sc = single crochet


dc = double crochet


bs = bean stitch

Bean Stitch: Insert hook in desired base st, yo, pull through base st (2 loops on hook, as in sc). YO, insert in same base st, yo, pull through base st (as in dc. You now have 4 loops on hook). YO, insert in same base st, yo, pull through base st (6 loops on hook). YO once & pull through all 6 loops on hook. Ch 1 to finish st.

sl st = slip stitch


ea = each


Pattern


Base: DO NOT slipknot onto hook. You are going to make a “Magic Ring” (Google for a variety of photo and video tutorials):


Make a hoop about 1 ½” in diameter with your beginning yarn, with the tail behind the working yarn, and leaving a fairly long tail beyond what’s involved in the hoop (I like to leave a good 6” at the beginning of every project, anyway).


With your crochet hook, draw the working yarn through the hoop, so you have one loop on the hook.


Ch 3. This counts as 1st dc for rd.


Dc 8 more in hoop, making sure to crochet over tail in ea st.


Untangle tail from hoop, if it has curled around it, and pull to close ring. Your ring should look like a circle with a pie slice cut out. If it doesn’t, make sure you crocheted over tail properly. If you didn’t, you’ll have to unravel and try again. If you did, the yarn probably just got a little hung up on itself. Some cottons do that. Just shift the stitches on the hoop with your fingers until it looks right, making sure to keep the “drawstring” (tail) pulled tight.


Sl st in 1st Dc of rd to close circle.


Rd 1: Ch 2. Bs in same dc as sl st. Ch 1.


*Bs in next dc, ch 1,* rep * to* to end of rd. (9 total bs ch 1 sets, incl. that in same dc as sl st, above)


Sl st in ch 2 space at beginning of rd.


Rd 2: Ch 2. Sc in ea ch and ch space (including top st of bs) around. (27 sc)


Sl st in ch 2 space at beginning of rd.


Ch 1, fasten off, weave in ends.


That’s it! Enjoy.
 
Thank you, Heidi, for making this pattern available for free. Not only is it super cute, it's super practical and a great way to save extra money.  You may want to wash the cotton rounds before you use them.  I used a Size H crochet hook, so my reusable cotton rounds came out a bit lacier than Heidi's version. The next batch will be made with the proper crochet hook :) :) :)
 
Here's the link to Week Two of the Girl Talk 2011 series over at the Virtue for Women site, sponsored by Harvest Church. Click here to view the Week Two sessions. This week is SO good...there's a really nice message about women and finances, plus other things that includes a really neat fashion show, how to use the produce from your garden and making your own baby food...all really great topics. I'll include the link here to the session about women and finances. There are some super simple and practical ideas:


So,  that is what I've got for you today.  There is lots of fun and practical advice.  Let me know what you think.  Have a great day.  That's the news from Oregon today.  Love and hugs, Heather :)

MEDIA MONDAY

Hi everyone,
How have you been doing?  This past week has been one of the most difficult of my life. Oh, my family is okay, just nothing that I  am liberty to talk about...other than our church has been going through some difficult things this month. We'll be okay, because God is faithful. That is for certain:):)

Here is the link up for this week's Media Monday series from the Women Living Well blog. It's about  media and children. Since I don't have kids, I'd love to know what your thoughts are.

Sorry this post is so short today. I'll be up and going again on Wednesday for the next Building Our Homes Together series          over at Prairie Flower Farm...

That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)
                                                

MEDIA MONDAY - WEEK THREE

THIS IS JUST A TYPICAL  STREET  HERE IN MY  HOMETOWN.  

Hi everyone,
How was your weekend ?   My weekend was pretty    good.  I'm behind on my crafting.  So I won't be  spending that much time on my blog or  on Facebook today.   
Today is Week Three in the "Media Monday" series over at the Women Living Well site. Click here to visit this week's link. It's about media and our spouses.

Now, I am NOT married. I'm still single, so I have absolutely no street credit when it  comes to talking about this subject. However, there is one point that  I can identify with and that is spending so much time with  technology, that you don't spend time wth your loved ones.  

As  most of you know, my dad and I share an apartment.  It saves on expenses. Plus, my dad and I get along, so at this season in my life, there is no reason to live in seperate places. Also, my dad and I very much have our own lives. That's  a good thing and very important.  Well, I was beginning to notice, that the computer was taking up a lot of time, in my life and my dad's life.  So  much so, that we'd cook breakfast,  and my dad would take his upstairs      while he was working on the computer. I'd be left to sit downstairs by myself . Sometimes I was the one who had breakfast upstairs.

Long story short, it was really starting to  get on my nerves and make me  sad. We are not so busy that we can't turn off the technology at least during mealtimes. We all have the same amount of time in the day.  If our loved ones  really are the most important, do we  show it? So my dad and I agreed that we would  eat together. No computers, no nothing. It's been working out great.   We talk more. Dad tells many more silly jokes. It's really nice :)  :)   

Again, as Courtney points out  in her post, technology is a-moral. It's what we do with it, that it could be used for good or bad.  I think anything that starts to detract too heavily from personal interactions with other people can be too much.  So at least for me and my little home, we'll not be using the computer during mealtimes ;) :)     

MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER'S OLD SHOP SCALE, WITH SOME ADDED LACE AND A VINTAGE-LOOKING PIGGY BANK : :) :)

 That's about it for today.  The weather has been really cloudy and in the 70s the last few days. It's been a welcome relief from the heat.  I know so many people need rain.  I'm praying for rain and lots of it.

I've got a lot on my mind today..or so it seems.   This post is shorter than usual.  Knitting and crocheting are on my list of things to do today.  Oh, I have this craving for a nice juicy cheeseburger, today. Not sure if I'll actually get one, but I still want to eat one :)  :)    Have a  really great  Monday everyone.   That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)                               

SPIRITUAL SUNDAY - ANYONE INTERESTED IN AN ON-LINE GROUP BIBLE STUDY?

THIS PHOTO IS  COURTESY OF LEAON OVER AT  SHABBY OLDE POTTING SHED. CLICK HERE TO PAY HER A VISIT :)

Hi everyone,

How has your week been going so far? Mine has been really good. It's also been a heavy week, too. It seems like there was one specific day earlier this week. It was a day of lifting up lots and lots of prayers. This is what I said on my Facebook page about that:

Yesterday (Thursday) was a really "heavy" day for so many of my friends. It seemed like prayer requests were being lifted up left and right. Prayers were flying to heaven so fast, that I could have used it as an air conditioner :) :) Seriously, as I was reflecting on yesterday, this song popped into head. This encapsulates PERFECTLY how I felt ( I'll post the link to the song in just a moment" )

Prayer is given and when anyone asks me to pray for them, whether friend, family or "stranger", I pray..That's just a given.  I was just wishing I could comfort everyone. It wasn't possible for me, but it IS possible for God :) :) With HIM all things are possible :) :)  Here's the song I thought of (referring to my Facebook post) that I thought perfectly describes how I f elt that day and about anything I don't understand:



Newsboys has been a favorite band of mine ever since I was in high school. I actually saw this particular concert in 2008...not live, I wish...NOpe, rather I saw the concert after it had been recorded and made available on DVD. Here are the lyrics to the song:

You are the author of knowledge.
You can redeem what's been done.
You hold the present and all that's to come
Until Your everlasting kingdom.

Lord, I don't know where all this is going
Or how it all works out.
Lead me to peace that is past understanding,
A peace beyond all doubt.

You are the God of tomorrow,
Turning darkness to dawn,
Lifting the hopeless with hope to go on.
You are the rock of all salvation.

Lord, I don't know where all this is going,
Or how it all works out.
Lead me to peace that is past understanding,
A peace beyond all doubt.

Oh, Lord You are the author,
Redeeming what's been done.
You hold us in the present,
And all that is to come.

Lord, we don't know where all this is going,
Or how it all works out.
Lead me to peace that is past understanding,
A peace beyond all doubt.

 THERE'S NO PARTICULAR REASON FOR THIS PHOTO. THIS IS MY LITTLE VINTAGE PIGGY BANK. I NAMED IT "JASPER" YES, SOMETIMES I GIVE NAMES TO OBJECTS. I AM LITERALLY SAVING ALL MY PENNIES IN HERE FOR A RAINY DAY.

One of the things I'm going to start doing soon is posting links to the women's Bible study  at Harvest Church.  Greg Laurie is the pastor. Click here to visit the church's website.  All of their messages are available to watch LIVE online or archived. They have a WONDERFUL women's ministry called Virtue for Women. Click here to visit that website or you can view the video below and get an idea of what it's about:




It really is a great site for Bible study, food, faith, crafts, recipes etc. I've been really blessed by it. They'll be doing a Bible study this year that will studying some of the Psalms.
                                                                                                                                                Psalms. So I'm really looking forward to that. When you browse around the Virtue for Women site, there are links to past Bible studies. Everything is archived, plus the studies come with downloadable PDF files with notes/questions for inductive and deductive Bible study, whichever you are best suited for when reading/studying your Bible :) It's really neat ladies. They always post the videos online about a week after the actual study. So as soon as they're available, I'll post the links here.


There's also a summer series that they do called GIRL TALK. Here's the link to view the video sessions from Week One. I especially liked Jeanine Hardgrave who had some really cool, economical party and gift ideas. It's everything from studying the Word to crafts, tips etc...everything that is of interest to us as women both practical and spiritual. Here's a little video about the GIRL TALK 2011 series:


That's about all I can think of today. I know.....that's a LOT..but God has put a lot on my heart. So please let me if you'd like to participate with me.  It will be lots of fun.  It will be even more fun, if some of you would like to join me here every Sunday.  That's the news from Oregon today.  Love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)  

MY SEVENTH "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER" FOR JULY 13TH

I'M PARTICIPATING IN THE "BUILDING OUR HOMES TOGETHER..........WITH JESUS" OVER AT THE PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM BLOG. CLICK ON THE LINK HERE TO VISIT LINDA. TELL HER I SAID HELLO. OR YOU CAN CLICK ON THE BLOG BUTTON ON MY RIGHT SIDEBAR.

Hi everyone,
Oh, How is your week so far? Mine has been good.  I'm busy crafting and knitting. I've also been making a concerted effort to spend less time on Facebook. So far, so good. 

 UPDATE ON THURSDAY - JULY 14th: I'm also going to be participating in the Simpy Homemaking series over at Our Simple Country Life. Click here to view the  latest link-up. Otherwise, you can click on the blog button on my ride sidebar :) :) Have a blessed day everyone :) :) Love and hugs from Oregon :)

I  was going to share a simple pattern for a bath mitt today. Well, something happened on the way to grabbing those knitting needles. I'll still share the pattern with you. However, let me share an unexpected  little  project along the way. Sometimes things don't go my way when it comes to crafting. 

THESE ARE THE SUPPLIES I GRABBED FOR THIS PROJECT. ONE THING I FORGOT TO INCLUDE IS A  WOODEN RULER TO  MEASURE MY KNITTING.

Here's a list of the supplies I would need to make my French knit bath mitt:
*  some paper. I used a composition book.
*Lily N Cream cotton yarn
*Set of 5, double pointed knitting needles (3.5 mm/ 4 US)
*Scissors
*Pen, to write with
*Row counter
*Row marker
*Yarn needle
*Needle gauge
*Wooden ruler (not pictured here - to measure knitting)

So it's always a good thing to knit a test swatch to figure out what your gauge is. How many stitches would you knit per inch.  So I went to find the tail yarn on the inside of  my skein. That's where the "accidental" part comes in. Some skeins of yarn just aren't put together very well. This is what happened. When I thought I'd pulled out the tail yarn, literally half the skein popped out. It took me forever to untangle everyone. This is what I had  once it was all fixed:

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T FIND THAT INSIDE TAIL YARN. I ENDED UP UP  PULLING OUT HALF THE SKEIN OF YARN. NO WORRIES. IT DIDN'T STOP ME FROM MY KNITTING PROJECT.

I took two of the double pointed needles to make a test swatch.  I cast on 25 stitches on TWO double-pointed needles held together. That helps keep the tension when you're casting on nice and loose. No worries. It will tighten up naturally as you knit. 

I just knit one row, and pearled back. That is called "stockinette stich". I ended up making a little 5 inch x 5 inch square, mainly because I was still working out some frustration from the crazy yarn ball .  Then when you reach the desired length, simply bind off loosely.  Or you can undo the yarn and reuse it in your knitting project.  However, it turned out quite nice. It's a coaster or mug rug of sorts ;) :) The edges will curl just a bit when you knit this way. It's just the nature of the yarn to do so, even if you knit with wool.  I might take an iron to it. I haven't decided yet.

  Here's what my little gauge swatch turned "patriotic mug rug" looks like with a teacup sitting on top of it.  I added some vintage effects to the photo. Isn't that just the cutest?

I'm working on another pattern for a coaster. It will be just as pretty, if not prettier. Plus, the way I'm knitting it, it'll lay FLAT.  When it's all done, I'll write up the pattern and share it here with you all.

After the fiasco with the yarn, I decided I needed a treat. So I made a java chip coffee ice cream rootbeer float. Trust me, this works together. You will need the favorite coffee ice cream and rootbeer of your choice. You can use any flavor ice cream that you like.  I just happen to LOVE coffee ice cream, especially java chip.

Choose a favorite mug or glass. Scoop out a nice, large healthy amount of ice cream into your mug.  Then add your rootbeer. Now be careful when you pour, because it is a  soda. The soda will foam up quite a bit. Just pour a little bit, let the foam go away, then pour some  more.  And enjoy a nice cold treat on a warm summer day.

Oh, my that java chip  rootbeer float was GOOD!!!!  Did I mention that I love coffee and coffee ice cream?  big smile :) :) :)
   
What I meant to show you originally today was my pattern for a simple knit bath mitt.   You'll need all the supplies that I mentioned at the top of this post, with the exception of the pen and paper. However, I like to take notes on each knitting project. It's like keeping a journal of sorts. It can actually be very helpful to you, if you have to stop your work or if you have questions later on about something you did.

HEATHER'S KNITTED FRENCH BATH MITT

Finished mitt should be 5 inches wide x 7 inches tall.  Remember, this is knit in the ROUND...so you will actually be knitting a 10 inch continuous circle.

Also, this is just general instructions. you can manipulate this pattern any way you'd like to. Also, depending on what needles you use and your knitting style, your gauge might be different. There's no right or wrong with this pattern. That's what's really great about it.

So this is how I made mine. After I knit that gauge swatch turned coaster...I took a wooden ruler and measured the stitches per inch. It came out to approximately 5 stitches per inch. So since I"m knitting in the round a 10 inch circle, I multipled 5 stitches per inch times the 10 inch circle and came up with 50 stitches total.  

Here's where there's some more wiggle room. I wanted an even number of stitches on each of my four knitting needles, so I rounded DOWN to 48 stitches.  That would give me 12 stitches per needle. Also,  I LOVE to use 5 double pointed knitting needles when knitting in the round.   I have the yarn project sperad out over four knitting needles, and I"m always knitting in with the fifth needle. This is less stress on the yarn when k nitting in the round. you get a much smoother finish than you do when just using  4 needles.

Okay, so hold two double-pointed needles together and cast on a total of 48 stitches. Remove just ONE of the double pointed needles and  begin to knit evenly in the round.  I placed 12 stitches on each needle.  Don't worry if there a little gap when you first join the ends together. It will  tighten up a s you   knit. Plus you can use th e  tail yarn to weave together any loose spots at the  end of your project.

Make sure to have a row marker at the beginning of your row, so you know where  the end and beginning of your  rows are.  In this case, since I'm using double-pointed knitting needles, I placed the row  marker one stich in from the beginning of the row. This prevents the row marker from falling off as your knitting :) 

Just continue to  knit in the round for a total of 58 rows OR until the piece measures 7 inches long.  I forgot to write down how many rows I actually knit when I was finished. However, 58 rows sounds about right. Then do a combination of knitting the stitches together/binding off loosely. Weave in the loose ends on the wrong side of the project. This is what my project looks like, with some vintage touches added to it.

If you want or need more detailed instructions, let me know.  I will also be doing another post on my French bath mitts sometime in the near future, with clearer instructions. However, this pattern is fairly simple and straight forward. Again, if you have any questions whatsoever, please let me know. I'll do my best to answer them. I like this project for it's versatility. It makes a great bath mitt to use in the shower or bathtub. you can even put a bar of soap inside, and it's a soaper/scrubber all in one ;) :) OR you can use it to help with washing dishes. It makes a hand dish mitt, too :) :)

Today in my devotions I was reading through Leviticus where God is telling Moses and the people about keeping certain days as well as specific rituals to be maintained in the Temple. Now, it was a LOT of detail. So glad that I live under grace now, because all of that detail would be a bit overwhelming for me :) :) That was Leviticus chapters 23 and 24.

Then I read Psalm 24. These verses stood out to me. Right now I'm highlighting ALL verses in the Bible that have to do with the tongue, whether it be about lying, deceit, gossip, anything that talks about our speach and what we should or shouldn't be doing. So these verses stood out to me today:

3) Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?  Or who may stand in His holy place?
4)  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.
5) He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Now, we know that our salvation is based on accepting Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior. He is the one who cleanses us from sin :) :)  What stood to me here, is that even in the Old Testament, God makes it very CLEAR that He does not deceit. Swearing deceitfully is the same as lying. So that'll be added to my list of verse that refer to the "tongue". I'm also writing down all verses that refer to money, because I want to know what God has to say about that, too.

My final passage for today was  Acts 21.  The short version is that Paul is chilling with some fellow believers. He goes to Jerusalem. They don't want him to go. A man prophecies that he (Paul) will be bound in Jerusalem and delivered to the Gentiles. Paul "No problem, I'm going to go anyway and preach the Gospel" (that's my interpretation" :) :)   Paul loves Jesus, more than his own life.  I'm not sure I'm that strong ,to be honest.

Anyways,  that's where I'm at in my Bible reading today. I'm going to try and journal some more of that with you on Wednesdays. So bear with me, if  I sound like  I'm stumbling over my  own words a bit. Paul did, too, right?

Well, thanks for joinging me today. I love it when you stop  by and visit me. You are all welcome here :) :)  Oh, Dairy Queen here in Oregon is having a sale on their 4-piece chicken strip baskets. Only $3.99...holla...Dad and I are SO going to enjoy that today. That's the news from Oregon today. Extra love and hugs, Heather :)